Klay Thompson of the Warriors is among the Bay Area stars appearing in PSA promoting tolerance. / Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

For any athletes who may be grappling with some of the same issues Jason Collins and Robbie Rogers dealt with, a group of San Francisco Bay Area stars are sending out the message that it's safe to come out and play.

Some of the region's most prominent pro athletes â?? including the 49ers' Vernon Davis, the Giants' Barry Zito, the Warriors' Klay Thompson, the Sharks' Joe Thornton and the A's Coco Crisp â?? are speaking out for acceptance of gay players in a series of public service announcements that will debut Wednesday on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

The overriding theme: Athletes are welcome to participate regardless of sexual orientation. Or, as the pro stars repeat in the PSA, "If you can play, you can play.''

The spot is a collaboration of CSN Bay Area, which donated talent and equipment, and the You Can Play Project, a nonprofit organization that strives to promote a climate of inclusion for LGBT athletes.

"These are athletes who have won multiple championships,'' said Patrick Burke, co-founder of the You Can Play Project. "The fact they're saying, 'On our team, as long as you can help us win, you can play championship-level professional sports,' that's a big, big deal.''

In late April, Collins became the first active male pro athlete in any of the four major sports to publicly come out as being gay. The 12-year NBA center made the announcement in a Sports Illustrated story.

Weeks later, Rogers returned to pro soccer by playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Rogers had quit his career in February over concerns and anxiety about revealing he's gay.

Collins played his college ball at Stanford, but Burke said his Bay Area links and the region's vibrant LGBT community were less of a factor in deciding where to develop the PSA campaign than CSN Bay Area's commitment.

The station has delved into the topic of gay athletes in the past, producing the acclaimed documentary "Out: The Glenn Burke Story'' in 2010.

All of the Bay Area's major pro teams are represented in the spots, with Raiders fullback Marcel Reece and Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski also participating.

"We absolutely want to take this from the Bay Area to other cities,'' Burke said. "There's no reason this shouldn't go from the Bay Area to L.A., to Toronto, to Boston, to Chicago. There's no reason it shouldn't be done in every city.''